The Iron Exec: Become the Strongest Version of Yourself

By Matthias Skillecorn

Outlining tried and true methods of physical development, sound nutritional advice with no specific dogma and insights into building an unbreakable mindset, this book contains only practical advice to become the strongest version of yourself. You will be provided with the steps to develop an actionable plan you can work through regardless of where you are currently with your mindset, fitness and career.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781543951622

Book preview

© Matthias Skillecorn 2018

Print ISBN: 978-1-54395-161-5

eBook ISBN: 978-1-54395-162-2

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is dedicated to my wife Damaris and dad, John, without doubt, the strongest people I have ever known.

Table of Contents

Why?

The Body

What Strength Movements should I be using?

Conditioning

Putting the training together

Nutrition

Training and Nutrition Myths

The Iron Exec in business

Focus

Productivity

Attitude

Do Not Assume

Attitude Will Dictate the Outcome

Street Smarts vs. Book Smarts

Fox vs. the Hedgehog

Attitude when it comes to handling pressure

Honesty

Feedback

The Introvert / Extrovert conundrum

Be honest with yourself: Don’t be fooled by your own mind.

Compounding Consistency in Life – This is the key.

Authenticity

Know people

Stoicism – What was old is new again

The Iron Exec Principles of Business

Polite & Humble

Always Learning

Simplicity

Objectivity

Putting it all together

APPENDIX

References

Further Reading

Why?

In today’s society of entitled wankers and delicate snowflakes, it’s a lesson many need to learn. Life is a barbell. The opportunities are right there. You just have to pick them up and start grinding. It’s all on you. Chris Shugart

What does strength have to do with business? What does strength have to do with life in general? The answer to these questions is ‘everything.’

Fundamentally without strength, you would cease to exist. There are multiple types of strength, for example – explosive strength, limit strength and strength endurance to name a few. Without strength you could not stand upright, you could not walk, and you could not lift your briefcase. You name it, without this basic human fundamental skill you would be like one of those Blubber Fish that sits on the bottom of the ocean and waits for food to drop in its mouth.

For this book, basic human standards of day to day living are not what will be referred to as strength. Instead, this books idea of strength is the ability to perform movements that likely put you in the top 5% of the adult population. Your strength will be your quiddity, literally meaning what it is. The Iron Exec’s quiddity is physical and mental strength. Examples of the type of strength an Iron Exec should possess is performing the following:

A 2 x bodyweight deadlift

A 2 x bodyweight below parallel squat

A ≥1:25 bodyweight bench press

Reps of strict wide grip chins

a 2 min plank

More importantly it is the attainment of these strength levels that will enable the Iron Exec to exude sangfroid – a coolness under pressure. The ability to withstand challenges and become stronger from them, not just survive them.

These are just few of the basic fundamental strength movements and behaviours that this book will help you develop. Why are they important? By achieving these standards of strength it means that for the majority of the adult population, you have had to work incredibly hard to make the standard. That you have toiled, sweat and strained over an extended period of time to realise these standards. It is not that you achieved them that the benefits of this strength attainment are revealed but in the journey itself of developing these standards that makes you become a better person. This journey teaches you that you can accomplish lofty feats, that obstacles are just there, they’re not insurmountable. Your ability to handle setbacks, deal with stressful situations in business and life will be just another obstacle that you will overcome. As Jade Teta wrote Your brain is always watching you and judging the type of person you are. When it sees you attacking the gym consistently day after day, month after month, its more likely to believe you and support you when you attack something new in life. By strengthening your body to levels that the bulk of the population has not achieved, you are building an iron will. An iron will that will serve you well in business and life. Not possessing these strength levels does not mean you can’t become successful in business. However, if you have them, it will be a leading indicator of someone with an iron will, with an ability to push through tough times and it is these qualities that are so strongly correlated with success in business.

There will be people who look at the standards above and say, I’ve done better than these, to those people I say congratulations! If they were easily achieved perhaps you are a gifted person. The question becomes, what effort did you need to apply to achieve those standards? If the answer is very little, then perhaps you have missed out on the lessons and resilience that is built from needing to strive to attain levels of strength that are above normal capacity. If it took you many months or years to achieve, then it is highly likely that the person has learned the why behind the pursuit of strength.

Furthermore, the attainment of strength should not be stopped once you reach these standards. These are minimum standards, and an actual Iron Exec will always be seeking to get stronger. The reason that Iron Exec continues to explore new levels of strength is that by constantly setting new goals, pushing your body and continuously straining under the bar, you develop a character that is unbreakable. When life throws challenging situations or circumstances at you, it will be through this pursuit of strength that you will know you have developed the physical and mental ability to handle any situation. A mental fortitude that only few who have strived for serious strength levels will understand, that genuinely unbreakable iron will.

Business is tough. Whether you are a small business owner or you work in a large multinational, you will continuously face stress, relationship strains, and complex challenging decisions. What will make you handle these with aplomb? Your strength.

The physical and mental strength that you have developed through your weekly ritual of lifting will act as a bedrock from which you can stand firm in the face of adversity. This ritual will also act as a solace you can retreat to each morning, afternoon or evening. It will act as both your basis of steadfastness and emotional moderation in the corporate/business environment, while at the same time acting as your pressure release valve. The zen-like quality that lifting can provide is not to be underestimated. It may take some time for these things to reveal themselves to you, if you have just started lifting. For those who have been in this strength game for some time, you will know what I am referring to. In fact, with those individuals who understand it, it is not always a subject of discourse. It is a deep, unarticulated understanding between strength enthusiasts that you just know is felt and experienced by the genuine Iron Exec.

Kosteas (2012), found from US longitudinal data that executives who exercise at least three times a week earned 7%-12% more than their colleagues who did not exercise. The Iron Exec builds a physical foundation that allows them to power through the day, as they have the strength and endurance to compete in the competitive work environment. While some literature suggests that resistance training once a week is sufficient this is not what the Iron Exec is about. The Iron Exec is not satisfied with just an occasional resistance training session, they are always seeking strength and conditioning personal bests and want to be the strongest and best-conditioned executive they can be.

As you have probably gathered from what you have read, if you are seeking some form of 10-minute workout per day to ripped abs, then this is not the book for you. Any significant strength levels achieved, both physical and emotional in life are achieved through considerable toil. If you are looking for a quick fix, this book is not for you. If you are committed to training most days for at least 45-60 minutes and love the inner euphoria you feel from knowing you have trained hard for another day then you have certainly come to the right place. The type of person this book is written for is the busy executive who will make time to train, not seek excuses. Have a 6 am flight in the morning? The Iron Exec will set the alarm to not just make the flight on time but to fit in a training session before they set off for the trip. It is this type of commitment that will enable you to achieve the strength standards set out in this introduction. This book is for those who cringe anytime they hear the overuse of management speak. When that colleague says I should reach out to Laura and collaborate on that innovative multi-dimensional opportunity it just makes you shake your head. What happened to just saying I’m going to have a chat with Laura about that new opportunity we identified? The business and life lessons in this book are about forging a simple, productive, lasting lifestyle. No crazy life hacks just sound wisdom.

To conclude the answer to the question of why seek elite strength levels? The answer is that the never-ending attainment of physical strength will build within you a character that makes you a resilient, iron-willed executive who can take on any challenge in business and life. Ryan Holiday spoke to this when he wrote:

Sometimes you meet someone and you just know they are solid. They have their life together. You can feel they are worth following, who deserve to lead, and who you can depend on. Ask yourself, what’s different about them? Chances are it’s not what they wear, what car they drive, how much money they have. It’s none of these things. No, it’s their unshakable, steady character. So if you want to become that, stop focusing on externals, outward transformation—in our clothes, in our cars, in our grooming. It might feel necessary but is superficial compared with the inward change. That’s the real difference we need to focus on.

By building Iron Exec strength levels in spirit, mind, and body. You can have that strength of character that most wish to have but few work to achieve.

Chapter Key Learning

Through the consistent dedication to heavy strength training the Iron Exec develops a capacity to deal with all obstacles that life will throw at them.

The Body

The human body is a fascinating machine. Even more amazing are the types of accomplishments the human body can achieve.

The Egyptians built great pyramids with their bare hands, moving and placing stones as heavy as 80 tonnes with nothing bodies and ingenuity.

The ancient Greeks could row across seas, covering hundreds of kilometres a day through sheer force, on diets that by today’s standards would seem barbaric and downright unbelievable.

Many centuries ago men in Scotland would prove their manhood by lifting stones. Without modern gyms and training protocols these Scots would be lifting stones well in excess of 100kg.

Old-time strongmen like Saxon and Goerner to men in the 20th century like Schwarzenegger and Savickas who have achieved unbelievable heights on the back of their strength accomplishments. They all attribute their success to their time under the bar.

Along with these examples cited above, there are countless people in this world whose strength attainment and maintenance have provided the basis for significant success in their chosen professions.

Success is a very personal thing. One person’s idea of success is another’s failure. While some of us based on popular definitions of success are not going to be as professionally successful as the Schwarzenegger’s of the world, each and every one of us can become a better person from the daily ritual of lifting heavy and eating right. In this book you will be provided the tools to become your definition of success, whatever that may be.

The strength fundamentals for the Iron Exec?

Strength fundamentals to live by:

Utilise a Barbell - Compound barbell movements are the basis of all quality strength gains. There is no doubt you can achieve a healthy body through callisthenics, dumbbells, kettlebells and sandbags. However, by employing the time-honoured tradition of lifting a barbell with basic, heavy compound movements significant strength levels superior to those gained using those other modalities will be achieved. Squats, presses, deadlifts, and rows are prime examples of the barbell movements which are important to the attainment of serious strength.

Bodyweight Exercises -Bodyweight exercises are the perfect support to the basic barbell movements. Push-ups, dips, abdominal work and chins are your mainstays and then increasingly more difficult variations can be